JAKARTA - The Minister of Culture (Menbud) of the Republic of Indonesia, Fadli Zon, emphasized that the Batak Toba heritage area should not stop as a physical relic, but must continue to be cared for and brought to life as a space for cultural expression.
He made the statement while reviewing the cultural heritage area of Huta Bolon Simanindo in Samosir Regency, North Sumatra, Saturday, February 7.
During the working visit, Fadli reviewed the Bolon Simanindo House - the Batak Toba traditional house - as well as the Huta Bolon Simanindo open museum which showcases the cultural wealth of the Batak Toba people. Fadli said the area was proof that the Batak Toba cultural heritage was still intact.
"Huta Bolon Simanindo is a witness to how the Batak Toba cultural heritage is maintained, both in terms of buildings, spatial layout, and cultural collections that are very historic," he said.
Huta Bolon Simanindo is located in Simanindo Village, Simanindo District. This area is surrounded by parik (earth embankment) and bamboo fence, with a bahal as the main entrance. Inside there are seven preserved traditional buildings, consisting of three Bolon Houses and four sopo (granaries).
As an open museum, Huta Bolon Simanindo exhibits traditional buildings, Batak Toba cultural collections, as well as art performances such as gondang music and tortor dance.
According to Fadli, the function of the area must be strengthened in order to provide direct benefits. "Places like this must continue to be maintained and functioned as a space for cultural expression. In that way, museums can provide economic impact through tourist visits, and the community, especially the younger generation, can feel the values of their culture directly," he said.
Fadli also highlighted the aspect of protecting the area. He said that Huta Bolon Simanindo had been designated as a district-level cultural heritage and encouraged an increase in status to strengthen support for preservation.
"We hope that the status of this cultural heritage area can be increased from the district level to the province, even to the national level. Of course we fully support this effort," he said.
During the visit, Fadli was accompanied by Samosir Regent Vandiko T. Gultom, Deputy Regent Ariston Tua Sidauruk, Director General of Development, Utilization, and Cultural Development Ahmad Mahendra, as well as a number of related officials and the Head of the Regional Cultural Preservation Center II Sukronedi.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
